CAREER: ARE YOU UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED? USE THESE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO GET A JOB -PART 2

I’m sure you wish you can just get that dream
job or establish a business to live the life you’ve always dreamt of. Maybe you’ve
made several attempts but nothing seem to be happening and your mind is on a
number of factors hindering you from achieving your employment goals.

Maybe you’re underemployed or you do not have
a job at all and you’re just at home doing some funny stuff. Not to worry, you
can always get going to a point of getting employed and a full employment at
that.

In this post, we shall continue from the last
post. There are 2 sides to being employed in Nigeria: salary job and
Entrepreneurship. This post will be entirely about how to get a paid
employment.

We’ll be looking at the most effective ways to get a job in
Nigeria.

Contrary to what you’ve had or know, the
Nigerian economy is growing, as there are thousands of companies arising and
employers are looking for the best hands to fill in the right positions.

The enterprise has grown with the increasing
demand for labour, following the recent developments in different sectors of
the economy. Almost every industry has been experiencing a boom for the past 15
years. Let’s take for example, employment in the ICT industry, entertainment,
Fashion, Telecoms, Education, amongst others, have skyrocketed in the past 15
years.

There are more internet startups promoting
themselves online. As these changes occur, opportunities are being created for
jobs in Nigeria, with an increasing need to fill vacant roles. This can be an
opportunity of a life time for job seekers.

Ecommerce startups are enormous, with the
likes of Konga.com,
jumia.com, jobberman.com, dealdey.com and cheki.com. Brick and mortar companies in different industries are springing
up by the day.

While you may have your eyes on the big
brands like Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total, General Electric, Google, Microsoft,
P&G and so on. You should also look for startups that have great
potentials.

These startups in particular will equip you
with highly sort after skills that you can use to secure jobs with the bigger
brands.

Below are a number of the most effective ways to get a job in Nigeria:

1.Define what you want. Be precise
about the kind of job you want before proceeding to search for a job. This will
help you a great deal.

2.The
first thing you should do is to ask questions. Once you’ve made the decision to
get a job, ask questions. Reach out to people in the industries you want to get
a job and other knowledgeable people about information on employment.

You’ll
definitely find people that will help you with answers, links, sources,
resources, people, and everything you might need. There is this adage that says,
“a traveler that asks questions can never miss his way.” Ask questions!

3.To
align yourself with the information you get, ensure your CV is updated and well
written. Use appropriate formats- font size and style. Proofread your CV. Get a
relative or friend to spot out errors. Make sure your CV is flawless. Remember,
your CV is your first point of touch with employers. Check this post for CV writing.

4.You can keep yourself abreast with
the information of these companies by connecting with print media materials,
electronic media like radio houses. Read newspapers like Guardian, Punch, business
day, Leadership and so on. These papers publish jobs at all levels, on a regular
basis. Go through them read to see
latest vacancies and other career information.

5.You can also check out popular online
platforms like Linkedin, Careerslip.com, Nairaland.com, OLX, www.thejobshow.net and
other career blogs to get more information and answers to
lingering questions about employments, job conditions, salaries, salary ranges,
job locations and industries. This will help increase your online presence.

6.You can talk to people in your world –relatives,
friends, neighbours, religious members, former and present schoolmates and
everyone you know, about your job haunt and ask for their help. These people
are usually good sources of information and they’re most likely to go the extra
mile to help you find a really good job.

You can even
tell people you don’t know when opportunity presents itself. Someone told me of
how his wife got a job through someone he sat next to in a bus, on a fateful
day. He got talking with the woman, one thing led to another, and he told the
woman his wife was looking for a job.

The woman
requested his wife sent her CV through an email address she wrote out for him
and the rest is history. The wife has been on the job for the past 5 years and
earns more than her husband.

7.Put your CV out there. Make it possible
for employers looking for candidates with your type of skills to easily reach
you. Remember your CV
gets you the interview. Put it in places where employers can easily find you.

8. Do not wait till there are vacancies before
you proceed with applications. Approach them and let them know what you can do.
This can sometimes make employers who consider you a good fit in any particular
role in their organization to create a non-existing position for you.

In case you don’t have the means to spread your CV, you can
talk to people that have access to help you do it. For instance, you could talk
to a friend with access to internet to help you send your CV to relevant places
or whenever the need arises.

10.Also keep your options open. Expand your list of job preferences- still
within your strengths but not entirely streamlined to one job type. For instance, if your mind
is set on getting a job as an admin officer, there are similar jobs around it
that you can also do.

11.Be open to negotiate salaries and job
requirements with prospective employers. Do not be rigid in your negotiations. Just
look for a way to step your ‘feet’ in the company and you can sort out yourself
later.

12.You can subscribe to newsletters, SMS alert and journals for employment updates. Your subscription with a reliable job portal
gives you access to employment information about several companies in Nigeria
and possibly increase your chances to get a job quickly.

Don’t say you
do not have these skills. Spend quality time to examine yourself by thinking through
some roles you have played in your past years in school, family, religious
settings, peer group settings, and other areas, for traits of these skills and
align them with their relevance in your job search.

You may not
have a good number of the required skills after the self-examination. Go ahead
to develop them in no time and include them in your CV.

A friend got a
job with an oil servicing firm, in spite of the fact that he never had the
required skills as at when the advert was made.He simply put the required skills on his CV and used about 3 days to
develop the skills.

14.Do an exhaustive self-assessment to
outline the skills you possess and find the jobs matching those skills.

Example: If you
have good interpersonal and oral communications skills, you can choose a job in
Customer Care. Search for industries, companies or role where your skills are
most needed. Be sure to keep up with trends for insights into job creation
Opportunities.

15.Be studious: Have an insatiable quest
for knowledge. Make continuous learning your mantra. As you learn look for avenues to practice what you learn. This will sharpen your
skills, make you versatile and relevant in the job market. Do well to hone your skills to a point that you will be irresistible in the job market.

16.Send short messages via online to a
list of prospective employers after doing a research on your skills. This is one of the most effective ways to get a job in Nigeria.You can do
it via SMS, Facebook, Linkedin, Whatsapp, Email and the like, telling them the
skills you possess and how your skills can be a good fit for the growth of
their companies/businesses. Also, ask for an opportunity to meet with them for further
discussions. At least one out of the lot
will definitely call you.

Another way is
Word of mouth. Have a list of businesses that match with your skills and walk
up to them insisting on meeting with the business owner or decision makers. Never
relent in selling yourself when in front of a business owner(s) or a major decision
maker.

17.Do a proposal: Before writing your
proposal, you must research on companies that you can fit in to carry out
specific job functions that will help them achieve their business goal. This option
is best suitable with professionals with relevant job experiences.18. Prepare for interviews: Do not underestimate any
interview. Invitation for an interview is not too easy to come by; there are loads
& loads of qualified candidates. That is why you must not treat it with
levity. Ensure you prepare adequately. You can check on this post.

19.Remember to attend career/job fairs
to stay updated on what employers are looking for. I once attended a job fair at Trinity House
Victoria Island, Lagos in 2014. The Job fair was organized by Mr Bimbo Adewole
of The Job Show in collaboration with the Pastorate of The Trinity House. I
would say The Job Fair was a success; companies like coca cola came and did
recruitment.

I wasn’t
interested because I had a job already. It was a colleague in my office that
persuaded me to attend. You can look out for such Job Fairs and attend with the
intent of getting a job on the spot and gathering job information.

20.You can also intern with some
companies, where you can gather some skills, experiences and knowledge about
the industry and about Nigeria at large. It mustn’t be a big company. You can
also gather experiences and knowledge with small businesses, probably around
you. A lot of people have used this
approach in getting a job.

21.Also
apply to companies outside of Nigeria. This is a great way of getting a job. There
are vacancies in foreign countries that if your prospective employers find you
fit for such positions, they will never hesitate in employing you and you have
to be ready to relocate to wherever they want you to resume.

22.Also note that if you are a foreign
trained student, you are required to complete the compulsory National Youth
Service Corp scheme also known as the NYSC. You need to complete this before
you are eligible to work in any established corporation in Nigeria. The NYSC is
a one year service.

23.If you are applying for jobs as a foreign
residence, indicate a specific date of return to Nigeria in your cover letter
if you’re going be using a foreign address.24.Pray: “The king's heart is in the
hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water:He turneth it whithersoever He will.” The heart of the Recruiter is in the hands of God. With
your prayers, God can turn it in your favour.Many a time, people get jobs not because they
are the most qualified, but because they’re the most preferred. That is favour
at work. Pray for that favour to rest on you. Before you set out to pray, visualize yourself
in the position you applied for and hold on to that image as you pray. Pray like
you do not have any other option order than prayer. . I have seen it work for people and I’ve
experienced it as well. Prayer changes things.

CONCLUSION: There are other effective ways to get a job in Nigeria, but
you can try the above listed ways. One or a combination of these ways, if
properly followed, will get you a good job to end your job haunt, at least for
a season, if not for a life time.

We shall continue with the other part to getting employed in
our next post.

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